The Wasteland, based on the texts I have read, is a varied and diverse environment of barrenness and death. In my life, and in society today, the Wasteland is not much different; the barrenness is one of mind and soul, and we have the same lack of knowledge about death now that these authors did when recording their thoughts on paper. A hero is needed in this harsh environment, to guide the multitude, or merely set the example for all others to follow. Though few characters meet the qualifications of a true hero, many come close in several aspects of their lives. The wastelands in which they must survive involve bleak environmental conditions, truth, and destiny: difficult, though not insurmountable, conditions of life.
In my life, the barrenness that I dread most is the inability to grasp with abstract thoughts the concrete, yet ever-changing, life around me. This would be a failure of the mind, which, in turn, would lead to failure of the body. As The Scarlet Letter shows, the mind has such a powerful influence over the body that it can physically mold it to match the present level of consciousness and self-image: "his form grew emaciated; his voice, though still rich and sweet, had a certain melancholy prophecy of decay in it" (Hawthorne 117). This decaying of his bodily form is due to another of society's wastelands, that of secrecy and lies. Although shame is the focus of The Scarlet Letter and is a major contributor to the fate of its characters, shame is not the wasteland of the book or society. For Hester, shame is perpetual, yet she lives on and prospers with the shame. It is the lies that are most grievous to the characters (Dimmesdale and Chillingworth), what undermines them, body and soul.
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Whether this society's hero is the imperfect human form or the near-perfect non-human, someone will always be able to overcome the challenges of his or her world. Maintaining an open mind, clear conscience, and healthy body and soul are the basic needs of a hero, while traits like reason and patience come with age and experience. The question of society today is not "what is our wasteland?" but "who is our hero?" Individuals often speak of a certain movie star or tv actor as "their hero," but how true is this? Is he overcoming the demands of society, or merely glorifying them? That is what each of us needs to decide for himself; who our hero is and what he can help us to overcome. Once we accomplish this, our idols will become valid ones, and we can all learn to overcome our wastelands and not only survive, but thrive, in today's society.
Jerry Garcia’s life was filled with wonderful things, many of which he never expected in the first place. After an almost fatal heroin overdose in 1986, “ Garcia philosophically stated, ‘ I’m 45 years old, I’m ready for anything, I didn’t even plan on living this long so all this shit is just add-on stuff.’ ” (“Garcia”) This attitude shows why Garcia did all of the things he did and even how some of them came about. Garcia, who “functioned as the preeminent pied piper of the rock era,” led a life of great artistic ability which he used in many ways(“Grateful Dead_ Rockhall”).
Congratulations on being admitted to State College! I am glad that you have made your decision to come here. State College has numerous great opportunities to offer its students. You also told me that you are enrolled in English Composition 101. One of the pieces of literature you will encounter in this class will be "The Loss of the Creature", by Walker Percy. For your preparation to the class I can summarize and give you my explanation of "The Loss of the Creature". Throughout the essay Percy tries to get across how any person with expectations or "packages" will not be able to fully accept and learn from any experience.
Harriet Tubman was originally named Araminta Ross. She was one of 11 children born to Harriet Greene and Benjamin Ross on a plantation in Dorchester County, Maryland. She later took her mother's first name. Harriet was working at the age of five. She was a maid and a children's nurse before she worked in the field when she was 12. A year later, a white guy either her watcher or her master smacked her on the head with a really heavy weight. The hit was so hard it left her with permanent neurological damage. In result of the hit she had sudden blackouts during the rest of her life.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s first album, Are You Experienced, is undeniably one of the most influential albums of all time. For a debut record, it achieved many milestones and influenced many artists, fans, and consumers alike. Are You Experienced changed music in many ways, including the way it was artistically presented and how the band used technology at that time. The record is extremely creative. Most agree that the record is timeless and will never grow old. Are You Experienced is truly the definition of an evergreen album.
Jimi is today acknowledged as a musical intellectual. He is highly recognized for his precision and speed while playing his music. He did not care what kind of feedback he got whether it was negative or positive, all Jimi wanted to do was play his music the way he wanted. He created his music as one of the melodic elements and people went crazy for him and his ability to play, sing and dance all at the same time. As a rock singer and guitarist, Jim Hendrix won several awards for being a major contribution to rock music during his time. It is widely agreed that he was among one of the most influential musicians in the history of rock music. As the star of the rock music during his time, Jimi did not just play music but improved the image of rock music as well. While it is the dream of every artist to make a contribution throughout his or her work and performances, not all of them were successfully able to make their dreams to come true. Through Jimi’s singing and performances, he is today acknowledged for the impact that he had on the rock music we now have today. Some of his major contributions to rock music are that he improved the styles that were used to play a guitar by flipping the music upside down as well as
Born into slavery, Araminta Ross, better known as Harriet Tubman soon rose to fame as one of the most well- known conductors on the Underground Railroad. With nineteen successful trips into the South and over 300 people freed by Tubman’s guidance alone, it is clearly evident why Tubman was referred to as the “Moses” of her people (Gale US History in Context). Although it is often thought that the years spent on the Railroad were some of Tubman’s toughest journeys in life, one must consider the aspects of her life leading up to her involvement with the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a perilous journey to undertake, the consequence of being caught trying to escape was death. Tubman was willing to take that risk, the risk of losing her life in order to help complete strangers gain freedom. It must be taken into consideration why Tubman would put her life at such a risk when she would perceivably receive no personal gain. Harriet Tubman’s personal experiences, love for freedom, and selflessness led her to become one of the Underground Railroad’s most successful conductors.
Have you ever committed a sin so appalling that you couldn’t tell a single soul, which, in result, gnawed away at the very foundation of passion and ecstasy in your life? The truth is every individual sins at some point. Certain people more than others and some people worse than others. What matters most is how you respond and how you let the emotional wrath of repentance take ahold of your life. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth to symbolize the effects of guilt and how destructive or reinforcing a life full of remorse can be.
In The Scarlet Letter, life is centered around a rigid Puritan society, where one is unable to express his or her innermost thoughts and feelings. Everyone needs the opportunity to express how they truly feel; otherwise the emotions stay bottled up until they become explosive. Puritan society however did not permit this kind of expression. People had to seek alternative means of relieving their personal anguish and distress. In the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne provides a refuge, in the form of a forest. The forest provides a shelter for the characters, especially Hester and Dimmesdale from the restrictions of daily Puritan life.
With Chas as his partner in crime, or manager, Hendrix became known world wide. He began his very first tour with his band Jimmy James And The Blue Flames. Chas and Hendrix worked very hard that year and finally released their first Album in the late 1966 early 1967 titled Are You Experienced? This album included the famous tracks Hey Jude and Purple Haze. During mid 1967, Hendrix did something that took the world by surprise. While performing at the Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967 he set his favorite guitar on fire. When later asked about why he did so, Hendrix simply
Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland around 1820. By the time Tubman had reached the age of 5 or 6, she started working as a servant in her master’s household. Approximately seven years after she began working as a servant, Tubman was sent to work out in the fields. While Tubman was still a teenager, she sustained an injury that would affect her for the rest of her life. One day, Tubman stood up for another slave and blocked a doorway in order to protect them from an upset overseer. The overseer threw a weight at one of the field hands, missing them and instead hitting Tubman on the head. Tubman was never able to fully heal from the wound she sustained from the overseer. This injury caused a chroni...
Harriet Tubman was born in Dorchester County, Maryland. She was named Araminta Ross when she was born, though she changed it soon after she married Jon Tubman. She inherited his last name and changed her name to her mother’s name, Harriet. Tubman was one of 11 children in her family and they were all born into slavery. She had a very tough childhood. Her parents’ master sold three of her sisters to other plantations very distant, which devastated the entire family. Soon after, Tubman’s father was approached about selling his youngest son, but he declined the offer. This set an admirable example, which inspired Tubman.
Harriet Tubman's life is one for the records with so much history and importance behind it. In 1849 she escaped from slavery and settled in Philadelphia. There, she found work as a scrubwoman. Over the next ten years she became very involved in the Abolition movement, forming friendships with one of the black leaders of the Underground Railroad, William Still, and white abolitionist Thomas Garrett. She became an inspiring conductor of the Underground Railroad putting her own life ahead of her people. Her drudgery did not stop there. During the Civil War Harriet Tubman served as a scout, a spy, and a nurse. Because of her influential involvement in the abolitionist act she came into contact with many dominant social leaders in the North. While all of her accomplishments were notable, her involvement in the Underground Railroad is one most infamous to the United States.
Without an honorable reputation a person is not worthy of respect from others in their society. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, the struggle to shake off the past is an underlying theme throughout the novel. Characters in this novel go through their lives struggling with trying to cope with the guilt and shame associated with actions that lost them their honorable reputation. Particularly, Hawthorne shows the lasting effect that sin and guilt has on two of the main characters in the book: Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale.
Guilt and shame haunt all three of the main characters in The Scarlet Letter, but how they each handle their sin will change their lives forever. Hester Prynne’s guilt is publicly exploited. She has to live with her shame for the rest of her life by wearing a scarlet letter on the breast of her gown. Arthur Dimmesdale, on the other hand, is just as guilty of adultery as Hester, but he allows his guilt to remain a secret. Instead of telling the people of his vile sin, the Reverend allows it to eat away at his rotting soul. The shame of what he has done slowly kills him. The last sinner in this guilty trio is Rodger Chillingworth. This evil man not only hides his true identity as Hester’s husband, but also mentally torments Arthur Dimmesdale. The vile physician offers his ‘help’ to the sickly Reverend, but he gives the exact opposite. Chillingworth inflicts daily, mental tortures upon Arthur Dimmesdale for seven long years, and he enjoys it. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth are all connected by their sins and shame, but what they do in regards to those sins is what sets them apart from each other.
Through Hester’s own personal struggles with isolation and how it affects her outlook on life and the compassion she learns from the experience. And in addition, with other’s experience as well, such as Dimmesdale’s guilt and self-punishment. Alternatively, Hawthorne shows assumptions and strict moral values from the townspeople’s changing perspective on Hester and her scarlet letter, from a figure of shame and isolation to a brave and motherly figure. Above all Hawthorne shows both the good and the bad of Puritan society and its often misguided assumptions of character and rigid moral